Hand Demon

The Hand Demon (手て鬼おに Te oni?) is a notorious Demon who has killed thirteen of Sakonji Urokodaki’s apprentices, including Sabito and Makomo, as well as at least fifty other would-be Demon Slayers.

Appearance

The Hand Demon is a monstrous, veiny, hulking monster with olive-green skin, blood-red fingernails, and piercing yellow eyes with hatch-like pupils. He previously had a very normal demonic appearance, with ordinary hair and clothes, but after he started eating several humans, he started growing. He had several arms and his mouth became huge, with jagged teeth. His arms became so numerous that he had to stop wearing his clothes and using his arms to cover himself, but he also stopped using his legs, walking on some kind of hand support.

Personality

The Hand Demon was ruthless towards humans, killing them immediately and even attacking those who ran away. He held a great hatred for Sakonji Urokodaki, cursing him for defeating him and trapping him in the wisteria-overgrown Fujikasaneyama, and vowing to kill all of his apprentices. This Demon also had a sadistic side, happily explaining Sabito and Makomo’s murder to Tanjiro Kamado. Despite this, the Hand Demon had a deep fear of death, being too scared to close his eyes after Tanjiro beheaded him.

When he was human, he used to ask his older brother to hold his hand, which caused him to be called cowardly by his brother. In his final moments, the Hand Demon reached out his hand for Tanjiro to hold, shedding tears of gratitude when his request was granted.

He seemed to have a noticeable tendency not to keep up with time, as he asked Tanjiro if it was still the Meiji period (1868-1912) and when told that it was the Taisho period (1912-1926) , he got carried away saying that he had passed in a new period, once again, and that he was still stuck in the prison of the wisteria.

Story

During the Keiō era of the Edo period, the Hand Demon was turned into a demon by Muzan Kibutsuji and proceeded to kill and eat at least one person, namely his older brother. He was soon tracked down and captured by a young Sakonji Urokodaki, and incarcerated on Fujikasane Mountain to serve as the Final Selection’s obstacle demon. He harbors a fierce hatred of Urokodaki for depriving him of his freedom, which drives him to traverse the ages killing every follower of Urokodaki he can find. He was eventually killed by Tanjiro Kamado during the Final Selection Arc.

Synopsis

Selection Final Arc

The Hand Demon targets several potential Demon Slayers, kills one and chases another. Manipulating his limb-based body structure, the aforementioned Demon reaches out for a limb to grab the ill-fated soul, but Tanjiro cuts it off using the Water Wheel: Second Form. Taking note of his intruder, the Demon remarks that he is another “pretty fox”.

He asks the future Demon Hunter which year of the Meiji era he is in, only to be informed that it is currently the Taishō era, which angers him. Cursing Sakonji for trapping him in the wisteria-riddled Fujikasane Mountain, the Demon angrily explains to Tanjiro how he was captured by his master during the Keiō era of the Edo period. His first intended victim accuses him of lying due to the nature of the Demons captured for Final Selection, but the Hand Demon nevertheless claims to have eaten fifty children. He then notes that Tanjiro was the fourteenth apprentice of Sakonji he had encountered, having killed and eaten all the others. He describes the two who marked his memory the most, a boy with pink hair and a scar at the corner of his mouth, and a girl in flower-patterned clothes and quick, light movements. Explaining the significance of the fox mask Sakonji had given Tanjiro, the Demon mocks the collective fate of his victims, including Makomo’s initial reaction.

This angers Tanjiro, who charges at him and slices off the various limbs the malevolent creature attacked him with. However, one of the deadly villain’s limbs breaks through Tanjiro’s line of attack, delivering a solid punch that knocks the enraged youth unconscious. The Hand Demon extends several of its limbs towards him, but he dodges them at the last second. After severing these appendages, the Cunning Demon tries to catch his opponent off guard with a surprise attack from the ground. This too is dodged, but the mutant, undeterred, extends a massive limb towards the falling young man, which is countered with a solid headbutt. Finding that he has no more hands to use, the desperate Demon decides to solidify the defenses around his neck, Water Breathing:

As the blow is struck, the Hand Demon notices that he is making the same sound as Sakonji, calling the latter’s name with frightening anger. The attack completely cuts off the multi-handed enemy’s head, causing the Demon to panic at his rapidly approaching death. Believing that Tanjiro would look down on him as he died, he is instead shocked to see the young man’s eyes filled with grief. The Demon extends an arm to his opponent, who respectfully grasps it, praying that he will never turn into a Demon again when he reincarnates. Shedding tears as he remembers his past, the Hand Demon crumbles into nothingness.

Abilities and Powers

The Hand Demon was by far the most powerful of its race in Mount Fujikasane, having eaten a total of 50 humans, well above the average 1-2 humans like the rest of the Demons in the area. 13 of these victims were followers of Urokodaki, which is a testament to his combat prowess.

• Flesh Manipulation : Like all demons, this demon possesses the ability to manipulate his own flesh. In his case, the Hand Demon can manipulate his body to extend his multiple arms several meters in length. He can do this with multiple of his arms at once and can either attack with an arm barrage or bundle his flesh into one larger arm. He can use his arms for strategic purposes and even burrow them underground to attack an unsuspecting target.
• Enhanced Resilience : The Hand Demon was infamous for the muscles in its neck, which allowed it to fracture blades aimed at it. Decapitation being the preferred method of defeating Demons, this feature served to minimize its main weakness. He is not immune to stab attacks, however, as a sufficiently strong slash can decapitate him.
• Pain Tolerance : The Hand Demon’s pain tolerance threshold is enormous, as evidenced by the fact that he has not flinched despite the multitude of limbs he has lost in battle. He even scratched his own body in frustration and anger to the point of bleeding, but the only thing he could feel was rage, not pain.

battles

Final Selection Arc

• Tanjiro Kamado vs. Hand Demon